Live and Learn
by april7000222
Summary: "I just-sometimes I wish I had some sort of warning before things begin to go horribly wrong." He muttered, defeatedly staring at the foamy tide washing in against the wet sand. Dani snorted,"Yeah, well it's not like I expected to become intimate with a bullet, set sail on the high flippin' seas, and wash ashore to an island filled with actual furries, but here I am."
1. Chapter 1

**Here I am with the first chapter of the latest story I've been working on. Just some warnings before you hop into the story. This story has an oc main character and other human and Mobian oc characters. If you don't like stories like that, you won't like this one. This story is rated mature for a reason, so be prepared for some future dark themes, explicit language, and possible future steamy hanky panky between characters. I own nothing here except my characters. Enjoy!**

 _Chapter 1: Trouble in Paradise_

Colorful houses lined cobble stone streets. Some tourists roamed around in tacky, palm tree shorts and wife beaters, occasionally stopping to converse or barter with the locals who were operating stands on the market street.

Among the tourists were some that weren't playing into their stereotypes. A group of three wandered through the market. They weren't anything exceptional. They were just here out of the excitement and curiosity of being in a new culture. The male and one of the females of their little clique seemed to be swept away by their general surroundings with wide-eyes and busy-tails. On the contrary, the taller of the two girls didn't look all that enamored with their surroundings. She fiddled with a strand of her black hair and cast a bored glance over the stands. She scrunched her nose up at the locals who were calling out to them about their great deals.

Her eye caught a stand covered in gems and jewelry. Her face lit up.

This went unnoticed by her other two friends. The shorter female adjusted her grey beanie and inhaled the scent of sea water and market food. She grinned and glanced over at her darker-skinned companion,"Dude, this is awesome. Thanks, for inviting Summer and I to come with you to visit your bro in the freakin Bahamas!" A few people looked their way warily at her increasing volume.

Brian snickered and fondly wrapped an arm around her shoulder,"I couldn't just leave you in Burbank by your lonesome for the whole Summer. You're white as hell, but you're my nigga. And, your cousin is just along for the ride." He shot an amused look in the direction he assumed Summer would be in, only to halt in confusion, when he saw she was missing.

Dani smirked, "I'm surprised she even came at al-" She flinched and stopped in her steps when Brian tugged at her sleeve to get her attention. She let out a inquiring hum and watched, as her friend gestured her sight towards a display to their left. Both friends walked over to hear Summer speaking to the vendor in her own special way.

"Priceless gem, my foot! There's no way I'm paying fifty dollars for a piece of colored glass," She sneered at the vendor, carelessly tossing a fist sized red gem towards the counter. Dani took a sharp intake of breath and reached out a grabbed the jewel before it could shatter all over the counter. She let out a sigh of relief and shot an apologetic look towards the elderly sales woman, who returned the gesture with a patient smile. Her cousin picked up a turquoise bead bracelet and examined it in interest.

"I want this. How much?"

The greying haired lady smiled disarmingly,"For you, t'irty dolla's."

"What?!" Summer shouted, looking quite abashed.

The older women sent the blacklette a nonchalant shrug,"Take it or leave it, lass."

Summer's winter-blue eyes shifted between the saleswoman and the bracelet. She rolled her eyes, and with a scoff, she began to dig through her purse for the cash,"Fine, I'll take it!"

Brian snickered at the exchange and glanced back over to Dani to gauge her reaction of the circumstances. Only to find her staring sternly at the large gem in her hand. He raised a dark brow in confusion,"Uh, Dani? Why are you staring at that rock like it killed your..." He winced at his choice of words,"-I mean...uh..." He rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly and cleared his throat. He finally blurted out.

"Whyareyoustaringatitlikethat?"

"Hmm?" Dani hummed, shaking herself out of her trance-like state. She didn't seem to notice her friend's fumbling for words, and if she did, she didn't acknowledge it. She turned and blankly stared at Brian for a few moments, trying to process his rushed words. Luckily, she was a good Brian translator,"No reason." She shook her head and sent him a reassuring smile.

Brian wasn't convinced. He sent her a skeptical look that said 'girl-I-know-you're-bullshiting-me.' "Whatever you say, girl."

The saleswoman's creole influenced accent broke through the two friends' staring contest. "You wis' to buy t'at gem dere?"

"Uh..." Dani stumbled at the words. She glanced back down at the gem stone in her hand. Staring mindlessly at the different shades of red that shined through it, she admitted to herself that, for some reason, she actually did really want the item in her hand. She winced and met the woman's gaze again,"I kinda do, but I don't have fifty dollars on me. "

The wrinkles around the lady's eyes crinkled, as she smiled at Dani,"Dun worry about it! You can pay me ten dolla's, and we'll be even, eh?" She sent a catty wink towards the young woman,"Afta' all, I do 'ave to make some money offa it."

Dani was filled with delight at the older lady's sassy attitude. Her lips stretched into a wide grin she let out a surprised chuckle,"Really? Thanks for the discount." She pulled out a wallet from her faded blue, messenger bag and handed the lady a ten.

"W-what!?" Summer sputtered incredulously at her cousin's friendly exchange with the shopkeeper,"But you-" She pointed sharply at the shop keeper, who simply smirked. The girl gave the local an icy glare. She growled and took a menacing step towards the seller.

Brian saw this as the prime moment to intervene. He laughed nervously, and grabbed the back of Summer's neck, leading her out of the store. He leaned over towards the teen and hissed out,"We can't take you anywhere."

She huffed at his words and resigned herself to seething silently.

Dani gave her farewells to the shopkeeper and met up with the other two teens. They all began to walk silently through the bustling market place. Dani skipped where her cousin was fuming in front of them. She reached a hand up to rub her back consolingly. Summer turned to stared at her with a disgruntled expression.

Dani smiled.

Summer narrowed her eyes.

Dani leaned closer, smile growing wider.

Summer's eye twitched. She rolled her eyes and let out a defeated sniff. Dani beamed at the sight of a small smile tugging at her baby cousin's lips.

Brian jogged to catch up with the two females. He rested an elbow on top of Dani's noggin, getting her attention. They shared a knowing smirk at Summer's expense.

Their little moment was cut short, when Dani felt herself being gripped firmly by her forearm. She was tugged swiftly out from underneath Brian's arm, and her heart surged in panic when heterochromatic eyes met milky aged ones.

"Uh-" Dani muttered, staring in confusion at the crotchety old woman that was holding her arm and staring at her with a grave countenance.

"It's cursed," The woman voiced shakily, tugging Dani even closer by the arm. "You're in grave danger!"

"W-what?" The short haired blonde blanched at the creepy vibe the woman gave off.

A sun-kissed girl with beaded dreads came out from one of the stands and pried the old lady from Dani. "C'mon Grammy. You need to take your nap." She nodded at the group with a apologetic wince and guided the elder to an open faced hut.

The three teens were baffled to silence. Onlookers stared on at them. Some of the locals even cast somewhat fearful looks at Dani.

"Ooo, ominous," Summer remarked dryly,"And, I guess you're going to die in seven days too."

Brian barked out a laugh,"I gotta admit. That old lady seemed batshit crazy."

"Y-yeah, that was pretty weird," Dani croaked.

Summer turned and caught sight of their audience. She hacked in disgust and turned her nose at them,"I don't know about you all, but I've had enough of this place. I'm going to the hotel to check Twitter and take a nap. If you're sensible, you'll follow me." She then walked off and left her friends in the dust with the stride of a super model.

Brian watched her leave and snorted in amusement. He placed a hand on his hip and cocked his head,"Our day has gone swimmingly so far, all things considered."

Dani rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed,"I'm gonna go make sure she doesn't get arrested for assault, before she even makes it to the hotel."

"Way ahead of you, sister!" They both ran ahead to catch up to the temperamental teen.

"I think it's around here somewhere," Brian grinned, reassuringly, but his occasional nervous tugging of his burnt orange, plaid scarf showed that he wasn't as sure as he would lead his friends to believe. He shoved one hand in the pocket of his green bomber jacket and used the other to check the GPS on his phone.

"If your horrible sense of direction gets me killed, I swear to God I will rise from my shallow grave and haunt you, Brian Brown," Summer declared with a snarl, jabbing him in the face with her well manicured pointer finger.

He swatted her hand away with a grunt,"We're not lost. My phone says it's just down the alley riiiiight-" He stopped his steps on the sidewalk, and nodded happily to the alley to their right,"Here."

Dani hesitantly peaked over his shoulder,"Are you sure this is the right place? There should at least be some sort of bouncer, a neon sign, or something as an indicator to the entrance of a club, right?"

He waved off her concern with a nervous cackle,"Nah, the best places are the ones that are hard to find!" He slowly began to make is trek down the dimly lit alley

Dani's face scrunched up at his words of wisdom,"You sound like a fortune cookie." She grabbed Summer's hand and pulled her along behind Brian.

Summer shook off her cousin's grip but continued to follow warily behind them. She groaned and crossed her arms,"Nah, he sounds more like an idiot to me. The best place we're going to find is a hospital, after we wake up tomorrow in a bathtub of ice."

Brian rubbed at his mop of curls and rolled his eyes,"Quit being such a Debbie downer, dude."

Dani laughed quietly and shoulder bumped him affectionately. A sly smirk stretched on her face,"She sounds more like a negative Nancy to me."

Brian caught onto where this was going,"A saggy Sally."

"A grumpy Grendal."

"An upset Eugine."

"A pessimistic Peter."

They both turned and grinned wildly over their shoulders at her. She looked like she was going to burn them to ashes with her stare alone. She suddenly smirked condescendingly,"And, both of you are illiterate imbeciles."

Brian gasped sharply and clutched at his chest like he was wounded,"I am abashed!"

"I love you too, Summer," Dani chirped, a teasing shine to her eyes.

"Shut up," She hissed quietly at her cousin, who pouted. She glared in Brian's direction, and he sheepishly stopped pointing and laughing at the fact that Dani got scolded,"You too. Both of your loud mouths are bound to catch the attention of any lunatic that is lurking down this shady alleyway."

"Ditto to that," Dani shuttered at the uneasiness the surrounding brittle stone buildings that formed the alley gave off. She gripped the strap of her bag, as if it would provide some comfort to the bad feeling that creeped up her spine,"Let's hurry up and find where your bro works, so we can get outta here." As if to clarify that is was not the place to be at the moment, the sound of thunder rang out over them.

Before they could make a left turn to an adjacent alley, they jumped and stilled in fright at a loud bang. Any person that had any experience with the Internet or lived in L.A. for over a year would know this sound well.

A gun shot.

"Oh shite! You killed 'im, Murray!" A male voice yelped in fright.

"I know! Fuck...fuck, man!" A deeper voice echoed throughout the alley.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know! Shut the fuck up and let me t'ink, goddamn it!"

The three friends shared frightened looks with one another.

"Oh my gosh," Summer whispered in shock, taking a quiet step back to make sure her heels didn't click on the cement. She and Brian turned their attention to Dani, whose eyes were narrowed. She put a finger to her lips and pointedly turned around and began to quietly make her way to the exit the alley.

Brian hadn't taken in account the items lining the sides of the building. He turned to follow Dani and Summer's example, but his hip bumped a metal trash can. The sound of the lid clattering on the cement rang loudly. He froze in horror. A cold, smothering ball of anxiety clenched in his chest. Everything seemed to happen so fast that he could barely register it. Two men came rushing around the corner alley. Dani yelled something, that he couldn't decipher. It sounded like everything was under water. He felt numb, as he felt his friend grab his wrist and pull him down the alley. He heard distorted shouting and a sound resembling someone opening a soda can. He stumbled, when a hand that placed itself on his back shoved him forward. A shot of thunder cracked overhead.

His ears rang, when he focused in. He glanced over to Dani in horror at the blood that was soaking her hoodie at her left shoulder. Adrenaline lit up his body. He grabbed her by the waist and began to swiftly retreat from the alley. He caught sight of a stricken Summer standing across the road at the docks. He ignored the shouts and footsteps behind him and felt a stinging sensation in his arm, as a bullet grazed it, ripping through his coat. He passed Summer, shouting,"Get in!" He helped Dani get in the boat and then got in himself. He began to pull on the string to start the motorboat. Summer dived into the boat, barely missing her end as a bullet zipped over her.

"C'mon..." Brian growled, yanking insistently on the motor's chain,"C'mon, you son-of-a-" He laughed in victory at the sound of the boat's motor purring to life. He took hold of the steering handle and the boat accelerated forward. The sound of of the two men yelling and gun shots firing faded, leaving the group gasping for air in an unsettling silence.

Rain tapped the faded wood of the boat and began to pour from the obscured night-sky and purplish-grey clouds in torrents. The storm didn't seem to be letting up soon.

"What the fuck just happened?" Summer uttered in an unstable and complete mix of dismay, bewilderment, and rage. She trained her glare on Brian, who was still mindlessly steering their hi-jacked boat forward with a stoic expression,"Answer me, goddamn it!"

"Shit! I don't know?" Brian gritted out, gaze still trained on the horizon,"We almost got murdered?!"

She threw her arms up with a sarcastic sigh,"Oh, I never fucking guessed that's what that was with those guys shooting at us and all! I knew it! I fucking knew your stupid idea to surprise your brother was going to get us killed! I should have never went out of the states with you!" By the time she was done with her angry rant, she was screaming and gesturing wildly.

Brian turned and scowled at the younger girl,"This isn't my fault! I'm surprised you didn't stay home and play house with your piece of shit husband, anyways. No one forced you to come with us!" He then huffed, turned his eyes back on the ocean, and muttered under his breath,"fucking crazy bitch."

"What. Did you just call me?" Summer snarled through clenched teeth.

"Guys." A pained voice wheezed out.

"Did I fucking stutter, bitch?!" He yelled, shooting an incredulous glance Summer's way.

"Hey, guys!" The voice spoke up a little louder.

"No, you didn't stutter! You whispered under your breath LIKE A LITTLE BITCH!"

Brian let off the steering handle and turned to seethe at her,"Why you fucking-"

Dani's eyelid twitched, and she breathed shakily trying to keep from going into shock from her current state. Her entire left arm and shoulder felt like someone rammed a flaming branding rod inside it, and she was woozy from the blood loss. It was raining something fierce, and they were in a shaky little motorboat in a giant body of water. Now wasn't the time for them to be arguing. Her building anger and agony caused her to lash out,"WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?!" They both stopped and turned to stare at her with wide eyes. She hissed in relief and pain,"Now that I've finally got your attention..." She shakily lifted her right arm and pointed to the garment wrapped around Brian's neck,"Hand me your neckerchief."

"What?" Brian grasped at the material around his neck protectively,"Why? And, it's not a neckerchief," He spat out the word like it was a disease,"It's a scarf."

Summer sneered at him.

Dani grunted and rolled her eyes,"Brian, give me the damn thing."

Brian whined, untied his scarf, and placed it in Dani's expecting hand,"Fine."

Dani took a steading breath, as a wave of pain passed and abruptly held the scarf out to Summer, who leaned back in confusion,"Now tie it around my wrecked shoulder, so I don't bleed out."

Summer's hands trembled in concern, as she stared at her cousin's oozing shoulder. She winced and wordlessly situated herself to grant herself better access to Dani. She took the scarf and tried to slide it under Dani's armpit as carefully as possible. She felt like crying, when Dani let out a tiny whimper at just the slightest contact with her arm. Summer finished wrapping it and gently tied it around her shoulder. Summer glanced down shamefully at her feet.

Dani gritted her teeth, as another massive wave of pain throbbed through the left side of her body. She managed a pained smile and tapped her cousin's cheek lightly with the back of her hand,"You and I both know that it's not tight enough." Her eyes softened and she patted Summer's knee encouragingly,"Go ahead and get it over with. A little more pain won't kill me."

Summer narrowed her eyes but conceded with the fact that this need to be done. She quickly reached over and tightened the knot on the makeshift bandage. Dani yelped in misery. Her muscles tightened at the deep seeded pain. She nearly bit her tongue, when her teeth bared down on one another. She shook and panted heavily, tears streaming down her face.

"Guys, we may have a problem..." Brian cut in. His voice was filled with trepidation.

"Like what?" Summer ground out, still steamed from their earlier tirade.

He tugged adamantly at the steering mechanism, but it gave no response. One could see the panic in his features,"Either the motor blew, the steering handle quit working, or this thing ran out of fuel."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Summer quickly stood, nearly slipping on the soaked surface of the boat. She leaned over to the motor and began to frantically scan it in a form of retaining her diminishing hope,"This piece of junk has to be an easy fix, right?" She glanced between Brian and Dani, who seemed ready to fall over by the way she was nodding off. "...right?"

Rather than attempting to reply, Brian curled his knees up to his chest and stared desolately at his sopping wet combat boats.

The wind speed increased, and so did the waves in their task of rocking their little boat precariously. They got to a point, as to where the waves were splashing over into the vessel.

"I'm sorry for being a complete bitch to you guys like most of the time," Summer yelled over the storm,"If we don't get out of this, I want you to know I love you guys!" If their were tears running down her face, they couldn't be discerned from all the rain.

"Huh?!" Brian shouted, not hearing a word she said over the sound of the howling wind.

"Mmm," Dani acknowledged her cousin with a dazed smile, as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

Coming to, Dani's whole body ached, and her left side felt as if it was on fire. She pried her eyes open and groaned, as she tried to shake off the feeling of disorientation. Her head throbbed painfully, as she focused in on her surroundings. Her right hand flinched out of the hold it had on her floatation device. She slipped and water rushed into her mouth and nose. She fought in fright to remount her grip on the piece of white-washed wood. When she finally stabilized herself again, she coughed and sneezed up water. The salty liquid burned her nose, eyes, and throat. Sniffing, she wiped her running nose and mouth on the cleaner side of her wet hoodie. She observed her surroundings that she floated limply in. The sun beat down on her, and only the blue ocean could be seen for miles in each direction. Panic welled up inside her and tears pricked at her eyes. She was alone.

"No..." She whispered mournfully, plopping her forehead down onto the cool surface of the plank of wood.

"Hello?!"Brian cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, from his seat on top of the overturned boat,"Is there anybody out there?! Anybody?!"

Summer stifled a sob and wiped her face with the back of her arm,"Shut up, you're going to attract birds of prey."

Brian sighed and turned to Summer with his accusing, caramel eyes narrowed,"At least, I'm trying to do something. While little miss priss over here is just wasting her precious H2O by crying."

"Fuck you, Brian!" Summer hissed out through a sob.

Brian snorted and gave her a condescending grin,"No, fuck you, Summer."

"My cousin is probably dead..." Summer choked out with a sob,"And we're probably going to be also out of dehydration or a lack of food! Is it really the time for you to be acting like a complete dick?"

"Well-" Brian started off hot but lost his steam as he mulled over her words. He thought of his best friend's likely death, and how he would never get to see her or possibly any of his family again. His mouth was dry and his skin was already starting to burn from the sun exposure. His chest heaved in an attempt to control his sobs,"F-fuck, man."

The waves rocked their vessel in silence. Summer broke it by taking a shuddering breath,"My little Riley's going to grow up without a mama. And Jeremy-" She sighed sadly,"I wish he was here."

Brian gagged in disgust,"I don't. The only thing he could be good for is bait to keep the sharks off of us."

Summer huffed, but she didn't disagree with him. Her face lit up at a sudden thought that crossed her mind,"Do you have your phone?"

He gasped in realization and dug his phone out of the pocket of his tan cargo shorts. He clicked the phone's lock and home buttons rapidly but to no avail,"It's dead. Probably, because of the water."

Summer growled and slammed her fist down on the boat,"Damn Apple products! And, I left mine at the hotel to charge."

Brian ignored his rising irritation at her slur against Apple tech. He carefully flopped down belly first and let out a hopeless groan.

They were screwed.

 **That's all I have for now. Let me know if you like it so far, or if you hate it! I have the second chapter ready for post, but I want to finish** **chapter 3 before I do so.**

 _ **-april7000222-**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Waddup!? I'm finally back with the second chapter! Ugh, college has been yanking my soul out of my body lately. Here's a nice lil chapter with some character/plot development. Hope you enjoy.**

 _Chapter 2: Castaway-Where's Wilson when you need him?_

Night had settled over the world near the equator. From an aerial view, one could spot two prone bodies shivering in fetal position on the base of an overturned mass. A light sprinkle of rain dusted them and made ripples in the currently calm waters. A loud baritone wail resounded through the location, startling the two individuals awake.

"Whales?" Brian shot up, rocking the boat.

Summer slowly sat up, rubbing her aching back. They both cringed and shielded their eyes, as a blinding yellow light was beamed down on them.

It was a cargo ship.

"Thank you, GOD!" Summer laughed exuberantly in relief. Scrambling to stand up the best she could, she ended up on her knees, waving her arms rapidly. "HEY, OVER HERE!"

"WHOOHOOO!" Brian cackled in victory.

Her friends' good fortunes were unbeknownst to Dani. With every bit of luck they were having, she was being dished the complete opposite. She was extremely fatigued because of her fear that she would drown in her sleep. She was badly but apparently not fatally wounded. The blood on her clothing and Brian's scarf had attempted to dry and clot. It had her cringing at the uncomfortable, sticky and itchy feeling it left on her body. She had gradually gotten used to the searing pain throbbing through her shoulder, but it left her arm tingling down to her fingertips. She smacked her dry lips together and winced, as her sunburnt face ached. She was surrounded by water, and torturously, she couldn't drink a drop of it.

 _What I would give for a water fountain._ She thought, humoring herself in her solitude. Her mind was slightly fuzzy given the circumstances, but it blared away when she realized her satchel was still strapped around her waist. She gritted her teeth and swapped to her bad arm to hang onto the piece of wreckage (that she assumed had been the seat of their boat). She used her good hand and maneuvered it underwater, until she patted the bottle holder of her bag. She undid it's clasp and pulled out a plastic bottle of water. It was half-full, but it was something.

She gingerly lifted it to her lips and chugged the precious fluid. In her excitement, she hadn't even noticed it had started to rain. She let out a bitter chuckle and lifted the bottle in an attempt to catch the raindrops.

 _I better get used to water fasting._

When her old Samsung phone had suddenly stopped working, Dani was understandably upset. She had some awesome memes saved on that thing!

Brian saw this as his chance to pull her over to the dark side of the force. He dragged her into an Apple Store at an hour of the morning that was preposterous to her. He went full fanboy with the clerk, as she leaned against the counter and tiredly watched the multitude of geeks, nerds, and hipsters alike roaming the expanse of the open store.

In Dani's eyes, they were all nuts including Brian.

Brian agreed to pay three-quarters of the price of the expensive iPhone 6, so there was no way she would vocally complain about it. She ended up paying around $250 for the phone, and to Brian's disappointment, she didn't care about showing off the "cool" Apple logo. There was no way she was going to not put a case on the $800, overpriced piece of tech. She used her security savings and bought a reliable water-proof case for it.

She was undeniably happy that she had did so at the present moment in time. She couldn't get any signal, but she could monitor the date. It was a tease to be honest.

She coughed and locked the phone, sliding it back into the safety of her bag. Her angry-red skin was peeling and her lips were chapped. She had been hanging onto the piece of the boat for around four days now, give or take some hours. Her muscles ached, and her stomach protested and contracted at it's lack of food. She had nearly drowned multiple times in the attempt to keep herself and her floatation device above the currents. She had no idea how far she had drifted, but she knew she had done so. The good thing was that she wasn't thirsty. It had stormed so much that she'd gathered and drank enough water to keep her body from shutting down.

It was something, right?

But, she was losing hope that anyone would ever find her.

In the spur of the moment and out of insufferable boredom, she searched her bag for a writing utensil. She pulled out a ballpoint pen and clicked it open. Leaning her weight into her piece of wood, she tried to writing on it. The ink wouldn't work. The wood was too wet. Dani let out an annoyed hum and shakily put force into the tip of the pen. When she was finished, she smiled in weak satisfaction at the message she had carved into the wood.

 _ **If you find this, tell my family I love them.**_

 _ **\- Daniel E. Evans**_

She absentmindedly traced the word family with a thin pruned finger, as her vision grew dark.

 _"Mommy, what are you doing?" A much younger and smaller Dani asked, poking her head out the open, sliding glass doors of their patio._

 _A petite woman with hair as golden and long as her own ceased her humming and glanced up to her with a gentle smile. She used her gardening glove to wipe the sweat off her brow, smearing her face with dirt,"Mommy's weeding her flowers, sweetie. Would you like to help?"_

 _"No," Dani declined with a slight shake of her head. She didn't notice how her mom blinked owlishly at her response, as she was too trained on the pile of weeds and soil that her mother was creating. She picked up a yellow dandelion and shook the dirt off of it. She scrunched up her little face up in confusion,"What are weeds?"_

 _Her mother huffed, as she violently yanked a stubborn weed out of the flower bed,"They are bad little things that kill the flowers."_

 _Dani hummed and stared at the flower she held with a bright smile,"I think they're pretty." She dug through the weed pile and picked up a matching flower. She skipped off to reenter the house,"Bye, mommy!"_

 _"Hmm?" Her mom blinked, looking up from her task to see her daughter gone,"Bye..?"_

 _..._

 _"Hey, daddy!" Dani yelled exuberantly, pattering into her father's study,"I got you a weed!" She shoved one of the little flowers directly in her father's face._

 _Her father rubbed his face with a drowsy yawn, as he turned away from his computer to stare at her blankly. Finally processing her words, he snorted and then broke out into peals of insomnia induced laughter. "Why thank you, sweetheart!" He made an attempt to bow graciously from his seat in his office chair, and he took the flower from her and placed it in his brown, curly hair. He waggled his eye brows,"Do I look pretty?"_

 _Dani giggled and nodded her head with purpose,"I think you always look pretty daddy!"_

 _His forest green eyes grew wide for a moment, but he simply resided his shock with a fond grin and snickered at his honest three-year old. He patted the crown of her blonde locks,"Why! Thank you, young lady."_

 _Dani beamed up at him, dimples showing at the corners of her her mouth. She stepped out from under his hand and turned to leave._

 _Her father stared at her retreating form in amusement,"Where are you going now, Dan?"_

 _"Ima go give a weed to Ash!" She chirped, exiting the door way._

 _Her father tried to contain his laughter, as he called after her,"I'm sure that will cheer him right up!"_

 _Dani skipped up to her brother's closed bedroom door. She opened it without pause and peaked in to see her brother laying solemnly on his bed. Her bare feet pattered against the carpet covered floor, she reached the comforter that she used to swiftly climb on top the bed. He huffed, when she plopped down on top of his belly. He crossed his grayish blue eyes, as she shoved the dandelion in line with his nose. "Hey, Ash! I brought you a weed."_

 _"I see that," He snarked dryly. The pre-teen plucked the flower from her hand and stared at it, as he used his pointer finger and thumb to twirl it effortlessly by the stem. He turned his sights back up to his little sister and was thrown off by the shining look in her discolored eyes. "What?" He question with narrowed eyes._

 _Her grin was infectious, as she leaned in urgently,"Smell it! It smells good!"_

 _He chuffed softly and shook his head. He smirked and pinched the tip of Dani's nose, causing her to pout and protest nasally,"I don't see how you can smell anything. You barely have a nose at all."_

 _"I do too!" She whined, her voice pitched up._

 _"Nuh, uh!" Ashton's teasing tone began to fade out along with the memory._

 _"Uh, huh!"_

Dani mentally perked at the sound of sharp swishing in the water. She drew her eyelids closer together at the disappointment and grief that curled in her chest. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling to wake up and deal with the that fact that she had just been dreaming. The nausea she was already feeling increased.

There was that swishing nose again, but she didn't have the energy to actually feel irritated about it. She peaked her eyes open and stared ahead blearily.

She didn't have the time to actually think, as sharp teeth struck out and chomped off a sizable part of the wood she was hanging onto. Her throat constricted, and she blindly reached out with the hand that was still clutching an unsheathed pen and punched it out of fright. Blood splattered her face and spilled out onto her hand. She gasped and shook, as the adrenaline faded out of her body leaving her in shock. She pulled her hand away and stared in terrified disbelief at that pen that she had stabbed through the animal's eye. It was a shark, a small hammerhead to be exact. It floated limply in front of her, blood beginning to dye the water red.

Staring at it in what it seemed like hours, her stomach gurgled as a painful reminder that she needed substance. She hesitantly raised her hand, leaned over what was left of the board, and yanked her bloody ink pen from the shark's body with a disgusting squelch. She dry-heaved at the sound, gritted her teeth, and stabbed the dead shark in the side once more with a stifled sob. She yanked, stabbed, and pulled erratically, until she had ripped away a chunk of bloody flesh.

Without giving it any thought, she bit into the meat. It was no sushi. The taste of iron and blood filled her mouth. She forced herself to swallow, but as soon as the sticky feeling of the raw meat hit the back of her throat, she felt it come back up. She vomited up the bloody fish and the bile that sat on her empty stomach. Once she was done, she wheezed, and her body racked with manic sobs. She went back to leaning on what was left of her piece of board. She stared hollowly at the ripples in the water, then rubbed her finger aimlessly against the recently splintered wood, and placed her stinging cheek against it. She breathed a weary breath and pursed her cracked lips.

 _"Priceless gem, my foot! There's no way I'm paying fifty dollars for a piece of colored glass," Summer sneered, tossing the red jewel back at the counter carelessly._

 _Dani stumbled forward and caught the item in relief and mild annoyance. She really didn't want to have to clean up after any Summer shaped messes on her vacation._

 _As Summer continued to communicate with the shopkeeper, a feeling of awe swelled up within her, as she gazed at the jewel that she had saved from an early death. She narrowed her eyes in bewilderment, when it almost seemed to hum with some kind of energy...?_

 _"Whyareyoustaringatitlikethat?" Brian spewed up in a jumbled assortment of the English language._

 _"Hmm?" Dani hummed, shaking herself out of her trance-like state. She turned and blankly stared at Brian for a few moments, trying to find the right words to say as to not_ _worry him. "No reason." She shook her head and sent him a reassuring smile. He didn't need to hear the crazy thoughts behind her actions. He already knew she was weird._

She smiled at the memory and plunged a weak arm underwater to search her bag for the silly little souvenir that Summer nearly knocked an old lady out over. She blindly searched until her soggy hand touch the cool, smooth surface of the gem. She made sure she had a good grip on it, before she lifted it out from underneath the water onto the board. She shifted her weight back to her good arm and sighed at some of the relief it gave her. She stared in wonder, as the red jewel seemed to glow mysteriously in the orangish pink light of the setting sun. She stuck her face in her forearm and chuckled nastily. She was so tired.

 _I don't want to die like this..._ These words rang throughout her mind, as her eyelids slipped shut. Unknown to Dani, the emerald glowed unnaturally in the hand that held it securely.

Thunder boomed in the dark sky. Dani startled awake and expelled salt water from her nostrils. Her upper body with slick with rain and cold from the gusting wind. She didn't have time to hold her breath, as a wave swept over her. She coughed up more water, as her body emerged again. She clenched her hand and noticed she had amazingly held fast to the red gem for the unknown amount of time she had passed out and during this on slot of waves. Rain pattered down on her body the hat was in total control of the ocean current, but this didn't seem to matter to her. Her eyes grew wide, as for a moment, the stone seemed to light up like a red bulbed flashlight.

She was going crazy. If she'd had the privilege, she would've laughed in hysteria. _Now I'm seeing thin-_ Another wave swept over her.

She let out a shuddery inhale for oxygen, as she came to the surface once again and clutched blindly at the board that was the only lifeline in preventing her drowning. She peeked her eyes open and caught sight of the gem again.

Using her crook of her arm to hang onto the board, she pulled up the top of her soggy beanie, shoved the jewel in, and yanked the beanie snugly over her ears.

Another wave crashed over her. After about thirty seconds, she floated to the surface again. Blinking black spots out of her vision, she could barely register the feeling of dread, as a humongous dark wave crashed into her.

Water rushed into her ears, creating a popping noise from the pressure. Her lungs burned and head throbbed dully at the absence of air. Despite her incredible will not to die, life seemed to always make these hard decisions for her.

She would've let out a bitter chuckle, if she had the air to do so. Her consciousness became fuzzy.

And, unlike people in the movies who are near death that see their lives flash before their eyes, Dani's mind was blank as she let go of herself.

 _ **You see the chapter title? Do you see what I did there? That little movie reference. Eh, I'm proud, to say the least. I'll update again soon! I totally mean it! I promise! Have a good one, muchachos.**_

 _ **Get laid, get paid, Gatorade,**_

 _ **-april7000222**_


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